The yellow mud turtle is a carnivore and eats: insects, mollusks, crustaceans, amphibians, annelids, nematodes, leeches, flatworms, centipedes, spiders, aquatic plants, and carrion.

The yellow mud turtles with carapaces less than 5 cm in length mainly eat small aquatic insects, algae , carrion and dead fish for food. The pattern of the yellow mud turtle is gradually reversed as the turtle grows, so this is a long-term process, so don't be in a hurry. If you only feed shrimp in pursuit of color, it will only cause health problems for the yellow mud turtle.